Top 10 tech trends for 2018 according to Gartner

Every year, Gartner, a firm whose analysts are amongst the best in the world at predicting upcoming trends in tech, publishes a report highlighting 10 technologies to keep an eye on for the coming year. For 2018, Gartner predicts the arrival of new technologies that will transform some economic models and create new environments for users.

These new technologies will be part of a process in which digital intelligence becomes more and more “enmeshed” within organizations, meaning people, equipment, content and services all being combined to obtain better digital results. For example, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will continue to progress by leaps and bounds and will be more present within a number of industries and services, allowing platforms and systems to be more dynamic, more flexible and possibly entirely autonomous. Moreover, the real world and virtual worlds will continue to blend into one another, creating environments that are more immersive and more connected.

Some other sectors to keep an eye on in 2018, according to Gartner:

Intelligent Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a sector that’s quickly growing. Some intelligent objects, like the Amazon Echo, are already present on the market, but these are just the beginning. Askida is working right now on innovative development projects that will be completed in 2018 and 2019. In a few years, consumers will be able to choose from a wide range of intelligent objects that will function either according to user commands or entirely autonomously. Moreover, these objects will benefit from the power of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to better interact with people and environments.

Speaking of Artificial Intelligence, this sector will become an important battlefield in the next few years. In 2018, we should see more applications that use Artificial Intelligence in the background. In the long run, Artificial Intelligence should facilitate the data preparation, management and analysis, allowing decision-makers at all levels to access detailed, up to date information more easily. That being said, Artificial Intelligence is not a magic potion. According to Gartner, Artificial Intelligence will not replace human thinking and creativity, but will simply allow intelligent applications to increase human productivity.

Cloud Edge Computing

Edge Computing is an architecture in which client data is processed as close to the source generating this data as possible i.e. near the “edge” of the cloud. The goal is to provide more functionalities to end users while also reducing lag or connectivity issues. With the Internet of Things and mobile technology on the rise, expect to see more and more organizations adopt this type of architecture in 2018 and in the next few years.

Chat Bots becoming smarter

Already present on the market, chat bots will continue to evolve in 2018, executing actions that are more complex and more sophisticated will also offering more precise answers. In the long run, the goal is to facilitate the usage of platforms by allowing users to chat with a bot that can understand their needs and intentions. The APIs that power for chat bots will continue to grow, allowing the bots to access, launch and even coordinate many different services.

Digital Twins

The concept of the “Digital Twin” is useful to understand how sensors and Big Data are completely transforming how we manage physical objects. A digital twin can allow specialists to test various solutions or ideas before implementing these in the real world. For example, Formula 1 racing cars are now using sensors and digital twins to test racing strategies in real time, allowing a group of technicians to inform the pilot of the best option according to the simulation before he executes his maneuver. According to Gartner, millions of objects will have digital twins in three to five years. Organizations will be able to use digital twins to repair systems or objects pre-emptively, increase the productivity of factories, predict a material issue before it occurs and improve product development, among others. Digital twins could even transform the way cities are developed and managed.

Event-driven organizations

This organization strategy, which involves thinking in terms of “business events”, leverages Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and Big Data. Essentially, these new tools and environments will allow organizations to detect and analyze business events much faster and in more details than what was possible before. Using this data will allow organization to be more agile and offer clients and customers the services they need as soon as an opportunity presents itself. For example, mortgages can be extremely complex and generate a number of different scenarios. By embracing business events, organizations will be able to offer the right services to the right customers at the right moment. According to Gartner, 80% of the new ecosystem will be implementing some version of this strategy between now and 2020.

Blockchain

You’ve probably heard of the Blockchain, an extremely promising technology that should transform a number of different industries in the next few years, including the health sector, governments, banks, content distribution and much more. That being said, Gartner notes that Blockchain-based technologies haven’t reached maturity and still haven’t proven themselves when it comes to handling massive amounts of users and transactions. Having said that, we should expect tremendous improvements in this sector in 2018.

Immersive experiences

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) will continue to transform the way we see and interact with the real world. Thanks to these technologies, companies will be able to offer experiences that are sophisticated and deeply immersive. In 2018, keep an eye on products or services that combine virtual or augmented reality with other technologies mentioned in this article, such as chat bots.

Continuous adaptive risk and trust assessment (CARTA)

Lastly, we should also mention digital security, a sector that’s showing a lot of growth, but that’s also very complex. CARTA (Continuous Adaptive Risk and Trust Assessment) is a framework that allows organizations to make decisions in real time according to risks and trust assessments. Essentially, CARTA encourages organizations to implement a strategy that offers flexibility to guarantee data security. As a result, companies can detect and respond to security breaches faster and more efficiently. Gartner believes CARTA will grow in popularity in 2018 and that security will become better integrated into DevOps, transforming it into DevSecOps.

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Askida is a center of expertise in software development and quality assurance whose aim is to optimize the competitive advantages of its customers while reducing cost and risk. The company develops customized, premium quality software and guarantees the quality of existing software through its own Askida solution.